Maruki sucked in a deep breath, leaning back into the bench if only to regulate himself from being too passionate about this. People always got so defensive and pulled back when he spoke of his research, he didn't want to make Hamuko run away.
"...That free will you speak of—it’s beautiful. It really is," he began slowly, turning his eyes toward her with quiet sincerity. "But it’s not always enough. Not in the way people like to think."
He folded his hands gently in his lap, letting silence breathe between his next words.
"From a psychological standpoint... human beings are shaped by the conditions they live in—by trauma, by systems, by the people around them. Maslow called it the hierarchy of needs, didn’t he? Basic safety, belonging, stability—without those, people can’t even begin to think about higher ideals like compassion or self-actualization. We like to believe in the purity of free will, but choice is often a luxury—one afforded by the absence of fear."
no subject
"...That free will you speak of—it’s beautiful. It really is," he began slowly, turning his eyes toward her with quiet sincerity. "But it’s not always enough. Not in the way people like to think."
He folded his hands gently in his lap, letting silence breathe between his next words.
"From a psychological standpoint... human beings are shaped by the conditions they live in—by trauma, by systems, by the people around them. Maslow called it the hierarchy of needs, didn’t he? Basic safety, belonging, stability—without those, people can’t even begin to think about higher ideals like compassion or self-actualization. We like to believe in the purity of free will, but choice is often a luxury—one afforded by the absence of fear."